5 Top Triceps Exercises | Erin Stern

Beautifully developed triceps tie the rear delts into the arms. They also add curves to the arm, which makes the physique look more impressive. Aside from looking nice, strong triceps help with stabilization and strength. Do you want to increase your bench press or military press? Then work the triceps. Since the triceps are composed of three heads, they need a variety of movements to hit each one. Here are my favorite exercises for developing both aesthetics and strength.

Close-grip bench

The standard flat bench works chest, front delts, and triceps. But, by moving your grip closer together, you’re able to train primarily the triceps. Experiment with grips that range from one hand’s width to just narrower than shoulder-width to find the one(s) that work best for you. Perform the exercise as you would perform the bench press. Since this is a compound movement, it burns more calories and can really tie the physique together. Muscles that are trained together tend to flow better!

French press

A mashup of pullover and skull crusher, the French press is done on an incline bench. The pulling motion of this exercise effectively targets the longest head of the triceps. Using an EZ bar is preferred, but you can also use dumbbells or the cable machine. With an overhand grip on the EZ bar, lie back on an incline bench. Extend the bar overhead and slowly lower it down and back until you feel a good stretch. Pull the bar upward and forward, until it reaches the starting point again.

Decline diamond push ups

Body weight exercises truly test strength, and the decline diamond pushups are no exception. This exercise will train the shorter heads of the triceps. Place your feet on a bench or box and get into a plank position. Bring your hands close together until they make a diamond shape. If this is too difficult, move your hands out to just narrower than shoulder-width. This is an awesome exercise for amraps (as many reps as possible) to gain strength.

Overhead extensions

This was my favorite exercise for helping develop throwing strength in college. Place a rope attachment on a low cable pulley. Grasp the rope and spin around so that you’re facing away from the pulley. Extend the rope upward, until it is overhead. Slowly lower the rope, using just your elbows as the hinge. Try to keep your elbows close to your body.

Double rope cable kickbacks

Attach two ropes to a cable and adjust the cable to hip-height. Grasp one end of each rope, and make sure they’re even. Bend over until your upper body reaches parallel. Keeping your elbows at your sides, press the rope down and back in an arcing motion. Squeeze your triceps when your arms are straight back. This is a great finisher exercise and gives you a larger range of motion than regular rope kickbacks. The constant tension of the cable can also help with sculpting or gaining muscle.